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Oct 25, 2011
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then we plunged into afghanistan with the crazy program of building democracy in a modern state in afghanistan while waging a war. we've been there longer than in any war ever. and we have abandoned the peace process in the middle east. so we're in a mess. >> dr. brzenzski, it's willie. good morning. off your point about iraq. as someone who has witnessed vietnam and has a -- has the long lens of history there to aid him in his analysis, will we learn the lesson of iraq? will we learn the lesson of afghanistan now that we're leaving iraq as of the end of this year? what will policy makers of the next generation take away hopefully and learn from that w unjustified and based on false presences, untrue2♪ú stories t to the country, is that you don't undertake this alone in the face of international criticism and even in some cases condemnation. i think the agenda right now for us is to transform the problem of afghanistan into a regional problem and not just an american problem. i think the gender for us is to see if we can in some fashion$x engage iran. an individual who is very concerned ab
then we plunged into afghanistan with the crazy program of building democracy in a modern state in afghanistan while waging a war. we've been there longer than in any war ever. and we have abandoned the peace process in the middle east. so we're in a mess. >> dr. brzenzski, it's willie. good morning. off your point about iraq. as someone who has witnessed vietnam and has a -- has the long lens of history there to aid him in his analysis, will we learn the lesson of iraq? will we learn the...
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Oct 24, 2011
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and if pakistan needs afghanistan's help, afghanistan will be there with you. >> young men and women are fighting and dying in afghanistan for a man that said he would side with pakistan in a war against the united states. >> this war is ill-advised, unwarranted at this point. we are involved in a local, civil, and regional war, where vital u.s. interests are not at stake. and at the end of the day, no matter how much we accomplish, six months a year later, you will not see massive traces of everything the united states sought to bring about. this is truly misguided, it should be wound down, not completely eliminated, be uh we should wind down our involvement there at a far faster rate than we are. >> i can make an argument that keeping troops in iraq would be far more in the united states interest than keeping troops in afghanistan. this is an absolute nightmare. you don't have leaders of iraq saying the things that -- and, of course, i'm glad we're getting out of iraq. but, you know, the president campaigned in 2008 that afghanistan was the good war. he tripled the number of troops
and if pakistan needs afghanistan's help, afghanistan will be there with you. >> young men and women are fighting and dying in afghanistan for a man that said he would side with pakistan in a war against the united states. >> this war is ill-advised, unwarranted at this point. we are involved in a local, civil, and regional war, where vital u.s. interests are not at stake. and at the end of the day, no matter how much we accomplish, six months a year later, you will not see massive...
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Sep 14, 2011
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ambassador to afghanistan says at least six rocket-propelled grenades hit the u.s. embassy compound in kabul in a violent attack yesterday. it began when men in suicide vests entered both buildings, officials flood their offices. and a fire fight ensued. at least seven people were reportedly killed and more than a dozen wounded. secretary of state hillary clinton called it a "cowardly attack." >> we will take all necessary steps, not only to ensure the safety of our people, but to secure the area and to ensure that those who perpetrated this attack are dealt with. >> it is the first time insurgents have organized such a complex assault against multiple targets in separate parts of the afghan capital. and the worst attack on that m embassy since it was opened ten years ago. >>> up next, how one covert organization has become more important than even the cia in the war on terror. we're going to talk to the "washington post" dana priest on our segment. let's design a vacation on a bumake it work.edia. see what anandra did? booking her flight and hotel at the same time
ambassador to afghanistan says at least six rocket-propelled grenades hit the u.s. embassy compound in kabul in a violent attack yesterday. it began when men in suicide vests entered both buildings, officials flood their offices. and a fire fight ensued. at least seven people were reportedly killed and more than a dozen wounded. secretary of state hillary clinton called it a "cowardly attack." >> we will take all necessary steps, not only to ensure the safety of our people, but...
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Aug 18, 2011
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i have been in afghanistan four times in the last two years and iraq before that. it's my way of saying thank you to the troops i met there who are so remarkably impressive and went about their business in controversial wars in difficult circumstances with a great american can do spirit and optimism. >> let's talk a little bit about the wounded. those who come back and are not able to perform at the level wes is able to physically. how are we doing taking care of those guys on another question? >> not so good. some of the best programs are run by veterans who find that helping others is a way to push your way through ptsd. if you are focused on someone else, you are not so worried about yourself. the ptsd rates are very high. last month, we saw the highest number of suicides, army suicides in american history. 32 people. so, there are significant challenges. those challenges were made. we have to -- we can't lose sight of the fact there are a lot of success stories and a lot of people coming back who have a lot to offer our society. >> why aren't we doing a better
i have been in afghanistan four times in the last two years and iraq before that. it's my way of saying thank you to the troops i met there who are so remarkably impressive and went about their business in controversial wars in difficult circumstances with a great american can do spirit and optimism. >> let's talk a little bit about the wounded. those who come back and are not able to perform at the level wes is able to physically. how are we doing taking care of those guys on another...
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May 31, 2011
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we'll start with afghanistan. for the first time, house democrats are showing sol dare ty and pressuring president obama on afghanistan. politico is reporting this morning that a majority of democrats backed demands for plans to accelerate the withdrawal of u.s. forces and hoping to reach a settlement with all interested parties in afghanistan including the taliban. the amendment failed last week, but highlighted a potential shift in the party going into 2012 elections. meanwhile, president karzai is putting his foot down when it comes to nato air strikes and civilian casualties. he said today the government will have to react if more attacks occur on innocent bystanders. >> the afghan people can no longer tolerate these attacks on their homes and that one day the afghan government will be forced. if you do not come to an understanding with us based on a negotiated solution to this, that is the prevention of bombardment of afghan homes, the government will be forced to take unilateral action in this regard. >> kar
we'll start with afghanistan. for the first time, house democrats are showing sol dare ty and pressuring president obama on afghanistan. politico is reporting this morning that a majority of democrats backed demands for plans to accelerate the withdrawal of u.s. forces and hoping to reach a settlement with all interested parties in afghanistan including the taliban. the amendment failed last week, but highlighted a potential shift in the party going into 2012 elections. meanwhile, president...
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Jun 21, 2011
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troops to withdraw from afghanistan next month. "the washington post" reports the president's decision will set the draw-down schedule for the 23,000 surged troops he sent to afghanistan last year. according to "the post" commanders, the surge succeeded in clearing certain parts of afghanistan. although the president has not made a final decision yet, he will likely remove all of the troops since the end of 2012. the announcement comes since the relationships stalled between the u.s. and the taliban. hillary clinton will discuss afghanistan and pakistan on thursday. it comes as a new poll conducted for "the hill" shows that 72% of voters believe the united states is involved in too many foreign conflicts and should bring the troops home. only 16% agree with current troop levels. it's a big story. a lot of good things to talk about today. and you wrote about this in your politico speech, which we'll read later. >> jonathan, what's the president do tomorrow? >> i think he's going to announce that he's following through what he said a
troops to withdraw from afghanistan next month. "the washington post" reports the president's decision will set the draw-down schedule for the 23,000 surged troops he sent to afghanistan last year. according to "the post" commanders, the surge succeeded in clearing certain parts of afghanistan. although the president has not made a final decision yet, he will likely remove all of the troops since the end of 2012. the announcement comes since the relationships stalled between...
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the delay in troop draw-downs from afghanistan. this is basically pentagon-driven agenda, but where is the president on this? >> and gene, how surprising is it that there is such continuity between george w. bush's neocon foreign policy and barack obama's, i guess we can call it a neo con -- >> whatever you want to call it, there is continuity. i think jeffrey's absolutely right that it's generals-driven, pentagon-driven. there's a certain sort of momentum to this interventionist philosophy and practice. that is hard to stop. it's hard for a president to stop and joe biden did what he could. he asked the right questions, but in the end, here we are. we're still in iraq, we're still in afghanistan, we're doing hostilities in libya, and watch out for yemen. i really think yemen is the next war that is -- that could be a real war. >> mike, we don't have the money. will somebody please send a memo to washington, to the president, to congress? we don't have the money to fight these wars. >> we can't win them. >> and we can't win them! >
the delay in troop draw-downs from afghanistan. this is basically pentagon-driven agenda, but where is the president on this? >> and gene, how surprising is it that there is such continuity between george w. bush's neocon foreign policy and barack obama's, i guess we can call it a neo con -- >> whatever you want to call it, there is continuity. i think jeffrey's absolutely right that it's generals-driven, pentagon-driven. there's a certain sort of momentum to this interventionist...
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who are we fighting in afghanistan? >> the secretary of defense -- >> he can't say. >> i mean, i get -- >> we're fighting the taliban. the last time i checked the taliban doesn't want to invade santa monica, california. >> dr. brzezinski said that on this show, remember, willie, dr. brzezinski said as we moved forward and the white house should have listened to him, barack obama should have listened to dr. brzezinski two years ago. because he said we're coming to a fork in a road. we've been fighting al qaeda. we don't want to get into a war where we're fighting the taliban, because the taliban as reprehensible as they are, do not want to knock down build innings new york city. al qaeda does. the taliban does not have an international theory of destruction to destroy the united states of america. al qaeda does. guess what? leon panetta says there are only 50 al qaeda members, again, in afghanistan. we have shifted over the past two years, three years, into a war against the taliban. instead of a war against al qaeda. an
who are we fighting in afghanistan? >> the secretary of defense -- >> he can't say. >> i mean, i get -- >> we're fighting the taliban. the last time i checked the taliban doesn't want to invade santa monica, california. >> dr. brzezinski said that on this show, remember, willie, dr. brzezinski said as we moved forward and the white house should have listened to him, barack obama should have listened to dr. brzezinski two years ago. because he said we're coming to a...
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. >> how long do we spend in afghanistan? we're spending $2 billion a week. americans are ready to come home. >> right. i think the president's plan is responsible. you bring 10,000 troops out by christmas, bring another 23,000 out by the end of the afghan fighting season. so they come out in october and november, and then lay the ground work for a reduced presence by 2014. when the afghan military reaches the size of about 350,000 troops, which is about the size you need to sustain a government that will not lose against the taliban or haqqani. >> we've got chuck todd with us. let's bring chuck in. a brutal week for rick perry, whether you want to talk about the florida straw poll or saturd"saturday night live." are the reviews coming in from conservatives across the country? it's hard to remember a candidate whose fortunes have fallen so precipitously in a few days. >> this has been the nature of this race, hasn't it? as republicans search for their anti-romney, somebody rises up and is quickly basically lax about a month a
. >> how long do we spend in afghanistan? we're spending $2 billion a week. americans are ready to come home. >> right. i think the president's plan is responsible. you bring 10,000 troops out by christmas, bring another 23,000 out by the end of the afghan fighting season. so they come out in october and november, and then lay the ground work for a reduced presence by 2014. when the afghan military reaches the size of about 350,000 troops, which is about the size you need to sustain...
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what constitutes success in afghanistan when the number of al qaeda in afghanistan is small and the real issue is in pakist pakistan. and, you know, there are a lot of military people who believe it's time to pull out of afghanistan. >> let's do a little math here. we're spending about $150 billion a year in afghanistan, right? we're about to talk about the budget. >> yeah. >> cia director says there are 50 al qaeda members left in afghanistan. i'm not good with math. you're an economist. what is 50 into $150 million? >> that would be $3 billion, right? >> so we're spending $3 billion a year per afghanistan fighter. >> doesn't seem like a good ratio, does it? >> let's see, $3 billion per afghanistan fighter. >> say high yield cost here. >> say high yield cost. >> i think this is a high unit cost. >> want to follow up. what is winning? let us define winning in afghanistan. when we went in there in 2001, winning was getting rid of al qaeda, making sure al qaeda was not -- afghanistan was not a sanctuary by -- for al qaeda anymore. can we say since there are only 50 members of al qaeda in a
what constitutes success in afghanistan when the number of al qaeda in afghanistan is small and the real issue is in pakist pakistan. and, you know, there are a lot of military people who believe it's time to pull out of afghanistan. >> let's do a little math here. we're spending about $150 billion a year in afghanistan, right? we're about to talk about the budget. >> yeah. >> cia director says there are 50 al qaeda members left in afghanistan. i'm not good with math. you're...
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we set out to do what we did in afghanistan, we got rid of the taliban, to fix an afghanistan that has never been fixed. we're not going to do that. we're simply not going to do that. >> in afghanistan, once we leave afghanistan, you know this, the tribal leaders and whoever else, heroin takes over. that's the big revenue inside afghanistan. when you take that whole direction with drugs, it still comes back. >> whether we leave in 2011 or 2021, our 2031, the reality is the same on the ground when we leave. >> absolutely. >> al sharpton, that's one of the frustrations about this policy. let's expand it out. not just talking about afghanistan, talk about pentagon spending overall. talk about our entitlement program, middle class entitlement programs that are growing at such a rate they're going to bankrupt this country. how do we start prioritizing. we're cutting an infrastructure, we're cutting an rnd, while china is doubling down their investments. >> when we look at the fact that this country is like 25 in certain educational areas in the world, people with far less resources, people
we set out to do what we did in afghanistan, we got rid of the taliban, to fix an afghanistan that has never been fixed. we're not going to do that. we're simply not going to do that. >> in afghanistan, once we leave afghanistan, you know this, the tribal leaders and whoever else, heroin takes over. that's the big revenue inside afghanistan. when you take that whole direction with drugs, it still comes back. >> whether we leave in 2011 or 2021, our 2031, the reality is the same on...
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we have problems in afghanistan. it is very very hard to accomplish what we're trying to accomplish there. i have concerns about contracting and idea that our own money is going into the hands of bad guys trying to push things to be built where there is not security to build them. it's not new information for us not trusting afghanistan. this has been a rocky and strained relationship for a number of years. my first years on the armed services knee was about money to fight terrorists was going to beef up the boarder with india, and for them, it's all about india and only during the past few years have they turned a corner because so many of their own citizens have been killed by terrorists. we have to be careful being too absolute and leaving pakistan, we need their routes and airspace very effective wiping out terrorists. we have to use this as leverage point in the relationship and not begin spouting off we need to cut off pakistan. if we cut off pakistan, we may have problems getting supplies to our troops in afgh
we have problems in afghanistan. it is very very hard to accomplish what we're trying to accomplish there. i have concerns about contracting and idea that our own money is going into the hands of bad guys trying to push things to be built where there is not security to build them. it's not new information for us not trusting afghanistan. this has been a rocky and strained relationship for a number of years. my first years on the armed services knee was about money to fight terrorists was going...
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basically, how do you avoid the pitfalls of vietnam in afghanistan. >> he inherited afghanistan and iraq the way nixon inherited vietnam, 535,000 troops in vietnam when he got into the white house. bush i learned the lessons. there was a big push from the neoconservatives to go to baghdad. bush i did that and said this is what everybody signed on for. we are stopping at the iraqi border. he got the lesson right. >> for the record, george w. bush spit out his coffee and wept for it. marvin, go ahead. >> i agree with you, pat. the relevant point is vietnam was in his point. he did not want to go too far or get trapped in baghdad. this is one of the most fascinating things, you can get in on the act, too. the way one of the presidents after another, vietnam sits there just hanging around and even if you wanted to dump it, you couldn't. >> i asked obama about this a year ago and he maintains he's free of the vietnam. >> i agree with you. he's the one sitting there saying i'm not doing ten years. i'm not doing $1 trillion. it's about vietnam. it's about getting into a steal mate. >> yet, we s
basically, how do you avoid the pitfalls of vietnam in afghanistan. >> he inherited afghanistan and iraq the way nixon inherited vietnam, 535,000 troops in vietnam when he got into the white house. bush i learned the lessons. there was a big push from the neoconservatives to go to baghdad. bush i did that and said this is what everybody signed on for. we are stopping at the iraqi border. he got the lesson right. >> for the record, george w. bush spit out his coffee and wept for it....
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i didn't get the afghanistan speech. i didn't -- i didn't get if we're not going to -- not going to achieve that much in afghanistan by 2014, why are we still there? why are we going to stay for another three years and spend more blood and treasure if we're not going to get a better result? >> we're in a holding pattern and been in a holding pattern. for the life of me, i'm with you. i don't understand it. let's bring in senator chris coons. let's first get your reaction to the president's speech in afghanistan. do you agree with us that the president didn't go far enough? or do you agree with the joint chiefs that the president may have gone too far? >> i think that the president should have announced a change in strategy. what i've asked for is a clear strategic change from the counter insurgency, nation building strategy to one that focuses on counterterrorism. the consequence of a counterterrorism in afghanistan would be a signature withdrawal of forces and drawdown to lighter more civil operations and focus more int
i didn't get the afghanistan speech. i didn't -- i didn't get if we're not going to -- not going to achieve that much in afghanistan by 2014, why are we still there? why are we going to stay for another three years and spend more blood and treasure if we're not going to get a better result? >> we're in a holding pattern and been in a holding pattern. for the life of me, i'm with you. i don't understand it. let's bring in senator chris coons. let's first get your reaction to the...
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why do we have 100,000 troops in afghanistan? and why should we keep 100,000 troops in afghanistan for the foreseeable future? >> answer number one, the obvious answer, afghanistan was the base from which al qaeda was able to plan -- >> ten years ago. >> but, you know, ten years is not a long time historically. there are some strategic problems in the world that take a lot longer than ten years. >> al qaeda in afghanistan now. >> we are killing them and in pakistan with remarkable success. we're not going to be able to do that from air bases in the american south. >> so can we occupy afghanistan for the next decade? i don't want to wish -- >> we know it's not an occupation, but our military presence there and in iraq seems extremely necessary, given the unstable conditions in that part of the world. >> 100,000 troops for how long? >> if you want to time frame, if you want to specify a time frame, first thing you do, tell the enemy when they're going to win. >> what is the -- >> you stay there until you have achieved your objectiv
why do we have 100,000 troops in afghanistan? and why should we keep 100,000 troops in afghanistan for the foreseeable future? >> answer number one, the obvious answer, afghanistan was the base from which al qaeda was able to plan -- >> ten years ago. >> but, you know, ten years is not a long time historically. there are some strategic problems in the world that take a lot longer than ten years. >> al qaeda in afghanistan now. >> we are killing them and in pakistan...
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yesterday in iraq and afghanistan. five in afghanistan, one in iraq. young american soldiers. we have less than 1% of the population of this country fighting these wars on continents spread across the globe and at some point, off of this discussion, it's high time for a discussion to be held in washington, d.c. that the country would participate in to answer the question -- what is our obligation? what is our responsibility to places like libya and afghanistan and iraq? let's get those questions answered before we spill more blood. >> mike, we have been talking about this, you and i and willie and mika around the table for a year now and i can tell you, we've gone out, as i said before, we've gone out and gone on book tours and given hundreds of speeches, and i can tell you that democrats and republicans alike, liberals and conservatives alike, in middle america, are sick and tired of the united states of america spending billions of dollars and losing american lives in foreign wars that are not our own. the question that is asked is -- why is it that it's always the united st
yesterday in iraq and afghanistan. five in afghanistan, one in iraq. young american soldiers. we have less than 1% of the population of this country fighting these wars on continents spread across the globe and at some point, off of this discussion, it's high time for a discussion to be held in washington, d.c. that the country would participate in to answer the question -- what is our obligation? what is our responsibility to places like libya and afghanistan and iraq? let's get those...
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let's show them again, in afghanistan. and, of course, petraeus believes and we do not fault him, because generals want to win wars. and want as many troops possible to win wars. general petraeus and the generals believe we have to be there for a very long time. and yet, gates, our secretary of defense just said last week that any -- that wants to go to war in a place like afghanistan should, quote, get their head examined. as willie just said we're signed up for another five, six years. >> is he feeling liberated that he's sieending his time at the t govern? >> there is something there. >> what you've been expressing for months, maybe years, is now the view of the country. they want to liquidate this war in afghanistan. >> by the way, pat, we've been saying on this show for two years now that everywhere we go, americans want us out of afghanistan. >> sure. >> the hell with the polls. we've given sweechs to republicans and democrats, everybody, they keep asking, why are we there? >> we need a republican candidate who will
let's show them again, in afghanistan. and, of course, petraeus believes and we do not fault him, because generals want to win wars. and want as many troops possible to win wars. general petraeus and the generals believe we have to be there for a very long time. and yet, gates, our secretary of defense just said last week that any -- that wants to go to war in a place like afghanistan should, quote, get their head examined. as willie just said we're signed up for another five, six years....
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>> afghanistan. >> oh, afghanistan. i think we are trying to disengage. that is a sensible policy. i don't think we should proclaim to stay there and win and create a modern afghanistan, i think that has been abandoned. >> i don't think we should pack our bags and just leave. the president is striving at a departure. reinforced by an international umbrella that is yet to be shaped, a kind of regional consensus and in effect, create a situation with the problem of afghanistan, which is also the problem of pakistan, becomes a regional problem in which the country's in the region have a stake in solving and are not -- there's a reasonable chance that can be pulled off. >> dr. brzezinski, you mentioned pakistan. the focus of policy leaders. turning away from afghanistan, we got reports the journalist who was killed by the isi inside pakistan further out is complicating our relationship with that group. we announced going in to kill osama bin laden. how do we manage this relationship that's been difficult to manage for as far as the eye can see? >> well, first of all, we have to recogni
>> afghanistan. >> oh, afghanistan. i think we are trying to disengage. that is a sensible policy. i don't think we should proclaim to stay there and win and create a modern afghanistan, i think that has been abandoned. >> i don't think we should pack our bags and just leave. the president is striving at a departure. reinforced by an international umbrella that is yet to be shaped, a kind of regional consensus and in effect, create a situation with the problem of afghanistan,...
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he's done the surge in afghanistan. he has really shown himself to be something of a hawk when it comes to the wars. >> how depressing, ron paul. it seems that there is no difference between republicans and democrats when it comes to these wars. in fact, barack obama's tripled the number of troops in afghanistan and republicans are pushing him to commit even loenk. we've been there forever and a decade, ron. >> and this is the bad part of bipartisanship. foreign policy is always bipartisan and you know, give obama his due because he didn't deny that he wanted to fight in afghanistan. that's the good war. that's the long war. and he did state that in the campaign. but he has no intention of leaving. we have no intention of leaving iraq until we totally go broke and we have to leave like the soviets did. our empire will end for financial reasons. but it is total chaos there. there is no stability in iraq. i mean today there's an -- think a "new york times," the last christians are about to leave there. as bad as it was be
he's done the surge in afghanistan. he has really shown himself to be something of a hawk when it comes to the wars. >> how depressing, ron paul. it seems that there is no difference between republicans and democrats when it comes to these wars. in fact, barack obama's tripled the number of troops in afghanistan and republicans are pushing him to commit even loenk. we've been there forever and a decade, ron. >> and this is the bad part of bipartisanship. foreign policy is always...
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spending a week in afghanistan? our libya policy which this was a war that was supposed to take a week and has taken years. asking questions about iraq. when are we going to get out of iraq and start rebuilding america? asking about, you know, the president's terrorism policy. at what point are these republican candidates going to be forced to stand up and state their positions? and actually, admit that they agree with barack obama in a lot of cases more than they would like to? >> the short answer is not very much. it's interesting we're voting for the commander in chief not simply the governor in chief. and you wouldn't know it from the republican campaign so my hunch is other than the foreign policy debate in the fall between whoever is the republican candidate and barack obama, we probably will not get several hours of concentrated attention on foreign policy, which means we're ultimately again going to elect somebody who is going to be making all these decisions about what to say and do about an iranian nuclear
spending a week in afghanistan? our libya policy which this was a war that was supposed to take a week and has taken years. asking questions about iraq. when are we going to get out of iraq and start rebuilding america? asking about, you know, the president's terrorism policy. at what point are these republican candidates going to be forced to stand up and state their positions? and actually, admit that they agree with barack obama in a lot of cases more than they would like to? >> the...
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. >> i want to ask you about afghanistan. "the new york times" reporting this morning that president obama's national security team is considering a bigger troop pullout from that country than had been considered recently. we've heard numbers from 2,000 to 5,000, according to this report, it could be more. all this as bob gates spoke to troops in kandahar over the weekend saying he's confident the u.s. will remain in the country until the job is done. listen to gates. >> if it were up to me, i'd leave the shooters to last. nobody wants to give up the gains that have been won at such a hard cost. and nobody wants to give our allies the excuse to run for the exits. >> jim, what does that mean for the president when you have the defense secretary coming out publicly saying, we ought to hang in here and not let the losses go by the wayside when the president is looking for a way out? what does that mean? >> there's deep divisions inside this white house about whether or not they should expedite the withdrawal. that scheduled with
. >> i want to ask you about afghanistan. "the new york times" reporting this morning that president obama's national security team is considering a bigger troop pullout from that country than had been considered recently. we've heard numbers from 2,000 to 5,000, according to this report, it could be more. all this as bob gates spoke to troops in kandahar over the weekend saying he's confident the u.s. will remain in the country until the job is done. listen to gates. >>...
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that he has 1.6% of gdp versus bush's 1.1%. >> triple the number of troops in afghanistan. >> you know, we -- i go back to what i said before. there doesn't want to be any sacrifice anywhere. >> that's it. it's been like that for a decade. >> and we have to start at the top. you talk about leadership going forward. if we all sit around this table and, you know, say the biggest problem is the economy and jobs, we watch the debate last night where i think about 3% to 4% of the air time was actually on jobs and the economy. our potential next leaders are still not getting it. >> yeah. do you think -- i mean, look. you say decades but i look at the past decades because we had moments in our history when it called on us to rise up as people and we have not. we have bought more flat screens. we have bought bigger homes. we've bought nicer cars while our country declines. you know what? our presidents, plural, haven't asked anything of us. and the biggest moment in our generation, 9/11, we were not asked to sacrifice. >> we were asked to go shopping. >> don't start that. i just want to say we
that he has 1.6% of gdp versus bush's 1.1%. >> triple the number of troops in afghanistan. >> you know, we -- i go back to what i said before. there doesn't want to be any sacrifice anywhere. >> that's it. it's been like that for a decade. >> and we have to start at the top. you talk about leadership going forward. if we all sit around this table and, you know, say the biggest problem is the economy and jobs, we watch the debate last night where i think about 3% to 4% of...
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moving petraeus out of afghanistan. we've been saying on the show for years, we've reached the point of diminishing return, who will be the general, the politician to step up and have political courage at least to say that and move us out of that country. we'll see if the dynamic changes now. >> david petraeus, obviously, about as good at politics as any general, i think. and i mean that in a complementary way. his p.r. machine. >> something to do with the choice, joining us from new york we have republican congressman from new york in on the homeland security committee, representative peter king. great to see you. let's continue on with this. these changes in the president's national security team. what do you think ultimately will -- these changes, how will they impact maybe even perhaps the direction of the president's foreign policy? >> from a personal point of view i have a great regard to leon panetta and also general petraitis. two outstanting official, dedicated people. being on the intelligence committee as wel
moving petraeus out of afghanistan. we've been saying on the show for years, we've reached the point of diminishing return, who will be the general, the politician to step up and have political courage at least to say that and move us out of that country. we'll see if the dynamic changes now. >> david petraeus, obviously, about as good at politics as any general, i think. and i mean that in a complementary way. his p.r. machine. >> something to do with the choice, joining us from...
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afghanistan. and you talk about college campuses. i have yet to find people outside of washington, d.c., ron, that think it makes sense for us to spend $2 billion a week in afghanistan a decade later. >> it absolutely makes no sense. and there's no money. we're in this huge deficit. and if we can't cut the occupation of these countries, there's no hope for us. let me tell you, there's no hope for us. we better be willing to do it. we have to change policy. if the design is to police the world and nation build and solidify everybody's borderlines, believe me, we're doomed because we're doing exactly what the soviets did. we need to take care of our people at home. how do you get medical care at home if you're spending all of this money bombing people and rebuilding their countries? it's insane. >> and the rationale for staying in afghanistan is to keep al qaeda from coming back into afghanistan. and as we know, al qaeda's had a bad couple of years. >> they have. >> and they are going back into afgh
afghanistan. and you talk about college campuses. i have yet to find people outside of washington, d.c., ron, that think it makes sense for us to spend $2 billion a week in afghanistan a decade later. >> it absolutely makes no sense. and there's no money. we're in this huge deficit. and if we can't cut the occupation of these countries, there's no hope for us. let me tell you, there's no hope for us. we better be willing to do it. we have to change policy. if the design is to police the...
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. >> afghanistan. >> afghanistan. she basically -- it was a scene from "rocky," patch me up and let me go back in there, except it was real life. extraordinary courage. she's shown extraordinary courage from the beginning. you know what, this past decade has been more frustrating for news agencies to get the real news about these wars to the american people. she's one of the real stars that has done it the right way. >> she is the real deal. that type of job is a particularly dangerous occupation, especially in that part of the world. as well as in afghanistan. the thing that strikes me is, watching the news clips, as you presented the news, is that we go so fast. the news goes so fast today, the acceleration of events, cable tv, the way we do things. if you would stop and pause to think about what's happening in that region of the world, it is astounding, country after country, libya, algeria, syria, bahrain, saudi arabia perhaps. >> you notice in the streets you see young men and women protesting. these are people i
. >> afghanistan. >> afghanistan. she basically -- it was a scene from "rocky," patch me up and let me go back in there, except it was real life. extraordinary courage. she's shown extraordinary courage from the beginning. you know what, this past decade has been more frustrating for news agencies to get the real news about these wars to the american people. she's one of the real stars that has done it the right way. >> she is the real deal. that type of job is a...
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we have been hearing rumblings about 20 or 30 more years in afghanistan. in iraq, there's an agreement that extends the presence of u.s. troops there. i agree with you, the president's rhetoric about ending the operations is a step forward. i don't think we are seeing it in action. >> you are right about the whole scary aspect. it's only going to be down the line. there is something about the libyan rebel yan. it's unbelievable to watch this. do we have confidence at all in any member of this opposition that anybody is going to be able to do anything. talk about breaking it and fixing it. >> there's good reporting on this right now. all of us, i think, are in awe of the courage and bravery of journalis journalists. just incredible reporting has come out of this. at the end of the day, who are the people running libya? it's a coalition of people that are very untested on the international scene and i think that the possibility of libya continuing to be incredibly unstable for a long time to come is certainly there. who are these guys? are they islamics? >>
we have been hearing rumblings about 20 or 30 more years in afghanistan. in iraq, there's an agreement that extends the presence of u.s. troops there. i agree with you, the president's rhetoric about ending the operations is a step forward. i don't think we are seeing it in action. >> you are right about the whole scary aspect. it's only going to be down the line. there is something about the libyan rebel yan. it's unbelievable to watch this. do we have confidence at all in any member of...
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we can phase down afghanistan. not saying you can. >> in 1967, not butter. >> not here to say don't ever draw down an çafghanistan. i'm saying we had one increment of progress in the intermediate term that the general identified and we should accomplish it before putting the political calendar in front of it. >> let's move through the campaign. politics is a funny thing, isn't it? today's -- >> carefully. >> how's your family handling the presidential campaign? it's -- it's something -- >> exciting. >> you said governor, senators, all of the people who have been in politics, they think they've seen it all. then they run for president, and it's just like nothing anybody could be prepared for. >> unfortunately my wife, mary -- i wish you could meet her. been married for 23 years, we me at the university of minnesota, she believes in the cause, which is doing what we can to get the country back in to flas and using the skills and gifts we've been going to do that. we have two teenage daughters, they both like boys a
we can phase down afghanistan. not saying you can. >> in 1967, not butter. >> not here to say don't ever draw down an çafghanistan. i'm saying we had one increment of progress in the intermediate term that the general identified and we should accomplish it before putting the political calendar in front of it. >> let's move through the campaign. politics is a funny thing, isn't it? today's -- >> carefully. >> how's your family handling the presidential campaign?...
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they will never be a centrally governed pakistan, i mean afghanistan. afghanistan is not like iraq. give me one more second and i'll tell you what i think is going to happen in iraq. we'll probably go back to having one bloodthirsty tyrant to rule the country. that's the irony of iraq. >> happy days, wes. >> afghanistan is extraordinarily tribal. it's difficult to have a conversation about afghanistan. one story i loved was one of the things we did in afghanistan when i was working with the civil affairs team, giving out flags to children and local leaders. they would look at the flag and say what is this. you would have to explain, it's your country. there's another thing, i think you brought up a good point, joe. afghanistan is not iraq. you are right. there's a crucial player, though that factors in. that's iran. iran is not only very active and involved, but in addition to that, iran is part of the summit takes place in december between the leaders of pakistan, afghanistan and iran. iran is trying to show its hand in the larger conversation. how that plays out is going to have a
they will never be a centrally governed pakistan, i mean afghanistan. afghanistan is not like iraq. give me one more second and i'll tell you what i think is going to happen in iraq. we'll probably go back to having one bloodthirsty tyrant to rule the country. that's the irony of iraq. >> happy days, wes. >> afghanistan is extraordinarily tribal. it's difficult to have a conversation about afghanistan. one story i loved was one of the things we did in afghanistan when i was working...
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>> huntsman on afghanistan. >> i take a different approach on afghanistan. i say it's time to come home. i say this -- i say this nation has achieved its key objectives in afghanistan. we've had free elections in 2004. we've uprooted the taliban, we've dismantled al qaeda, we have killed osama bin laden. i say this nation's future is not afghanistan. this nation's future is not iraq. this nation's future is how prepared we are to meet the 21st century competitive challenges. that's economic and that's education. >> boy. >> so -- >> that is -- what an amazing. i will just say, that's a great answer that fits with what rock solid main street republicans have been telling us for a couple of years. >> that's what i want to know, michael steele. because after the debate my father said well, he's the only one on that stage that doesn't pander. and certainly i like that answer, but i'm not the answer he's going for. >> not even close. michael? >> no, i don't think so. >> so where does it stand in terms of the base? in terms of the audience he's hoping to -- >> i th
>> huntsman on afghanistan. >> i take a different approach on afghanistan. i say it's time to come home. i say this -- i say this nation has achieved its key objectives in afghanistan. we've had free elections in 2004. we've uprooted the taliban, we've dismantled al qaeda, we have killed osama bin laden. i say this nation's future is not afghanistan. this nation's future is not iraq. this nation's future is how prepared we are to meet the 21st century competitive challenges. that's...
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, take back afghanistan and taliban-afghanistan would invite back al qaeda. it's where the experts are split. actually, when you start coming down to looking at it, there are many, many reasons to believe al qaeda would not go back to a taliban run afghanistan. if that's the case, we can get out, the taliban can come back in in significant ways and share power of the country without al qaeda being there, there is no reason for american troops to stay. >> willie geist, we have a lot to talk about this morning. of course, big news. they framed poor whitey. they tracked him down. a good boston red sox fan. they have been hounding this guy for years. >> 16 years later, they got whitey bulger. he's been on the run for 16 years. some suggested he wasn't pursued well enough by the fbi. they tracked him down yesterday in california. he and his girlfriend. so whitey now one of the most infamous fugitives ever, on the fbis top ten list. >> was he using that name? >> call me whitey. >> no yankee fans on the top ten list. >> good to know. we have another massachusetts na
, take back afghanistan and taliban-afghanistan would invite back al qaeda. it's where the experts are split. actually, when you start coming down to looking at it, there are many, many reasons to believe al qaeda would not go back to a taliban run afghanistan. if that's the case, we can get out, the taliban can come back in in significant ways and share power of the country without al qaeda being there, there is no reason for american troops to stay. >> willie geist, we have a lot to...
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only afghanistan can save afghanistan. >> yeah. >> all that i want right now at this point in history for america to save america. we've got to fix -- >> well, now. joining us now from washington, we have the moderator of "meet the press," david gregory. we also have columnist and associate editor of the "washington post" eugene robinson. gentlemen, good to have you on. david, what's your take away from the debate last night? >> well, you saw santorum and huntsman still kind of the second tier of this debate even though i think huntsman continues to perform well. i think the big issue is perry getting stronger or weaker? how does he fit into the driving force of the tea party and the republican party right now, which is the economy and the president's handling of it? i think romney's still in a better position to make the claim he can seize the energy from the tea party about obama, about the role of government, and also drive an argument of electability. i mean, if this was the best shot the republicans are going to have, the chance to deny president obama a second term, republican p
only afghanistan can save afghanistan. >> yeah. >> all that i want right now at this point in history for america to save america. we've got to fix -- >> well, now. joining us now from washington, we have the moderator of "meet the press," david gregory. we also have columnist and associate editor of the "washington post" eugene robinson. gentlemen, good to have you on. david, what's your take away from the debate last night? >> well, you saw santorum...
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is it not time to leave afghanistan and declare victory? we're not going to rebuild the country. >> at a minimum it's time to define what our goal is and it's becoming increasing -- >> after a decade. >> at this moment. it's becoming increasingly clear that goal is hard to articulate or hard to achieve. and if that is the case, and certainly gates' comments are evidence that something is not quite right in terms of our strategy, our goals and strategy to achieve those goals. you have to begin to think that now is the time to begin to withdraw troops in a substantial way. hopefully. i listened to the secretary and he was also, as you know, taking on some of the republican senators, including john mccain who believed we should continue to stay. >> stay longer. >> why? >> his point is now is not the time to do that. i watched mccain on a show with david gregory. he went on to say he respected gates, thought he was one of the best secretaries of defense ever but he disagreed with him. hopefully this disagreement will mature into either an artic
is it not time to leave afghanistan and declare victory? we're not going to rebuild the country. >> at a minimum it's time to define what our goal is and it's becoming increasing -- >> after a decade. >> at this moment. it's becoming increasingly clear that goal is hard to articulate or hard to achieve. and if that is the case, and certainly gates' comments are evidence that something is not quite right in terms of our strategy, our goals and strategy to achieve those goals....
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let's talk about afghanistan. we have news on afghanistan as well, mika. this is something surprisingly enough that i think republicans should seize on. there's a report out, of course, that in afghanistan we have been exaggerating our gains against the taliban. the fact of the matter is it's a much bigger mess than we expected. >> that's part of it. there's also news on the surge drawdown. nbc news has learned that defense secretary leon panetta and joint chiefs chairman marty dempsy presented president obama with the first round of the afghanistan surge drawdown. the plan which the military is calling a surge recovery includes how the u.s. will bring home 10,000 american forces by the end of this year. this first round will be a combination of troops that are finishing their tour, not being replaced, troops not deploying at all and troops leaving afghanistan efrlier than expected. according to ooh senior defense official, this first decrease will be mostly noncombat forces, while the second exit round of nearly 23,000 troops by the end of september 2012
let's talk about afghanistan. we have news on afghanistan as well, mika. this is something surprisingly enough that i think republicans should seize on. there's a report out, of course, that in afghanistan we have been exaggerating our gains against the taliban. the fact of the matter is it's a much bigger mess than we expected. >> that's part of it. there's also news on the surge drawdown. nbc news has learned that defense secretary leon panetta and joint chiefs chairman marty dempsy...
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coming up, getting out of afghanistan. our next guest is working on legislation that would require a concrete legislative strategy. james mcgovern of massachusetts joins the table next. >>> also, 25 years after the chernobyl community disaster why a community of women are risking their health to live there. we're going to bring in editor and chief leslie jane seymour. guess is who is on his way to can i ev right now? stwl who on is that? >> my dad. but first, here is bill karins with a check on the forecast. >> we have another surprise this morning especially for people in michigan. we've had snow reported in chicago and now it's snowing in detroit. ridiculous stuff. buffalo, you're cold and chilly. we're just find from boston to d.c. all the white on this map is snow. moderate, heavy at times from kalamazoo. detroit, we're calling for 2 to 4 inches. even the roads are going to get snow on them. as far as the forecast for the rest of the country, we're okay today. but tomorrow, another big string storm arrives in the plain
coming up, getting out of afghanistan. our next guest is working on legislation that would require a concrete legislative strategy. james mcgovern of massachusetts joins the table next. >>> also, 25 years after the chernobyl community disaster why a community of women are risking their health to live there. we're going to bring in editor and chief leslie jane seymour. guess is who is on his way to can i ev right now? stwl who on is that? >> my dad. but first, here is bill karins...
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i said what do you think about afghanistan? should we be moving out? and he turned to me long pause and he said, i don't know what the objective is. >> that's the critical point. i mean it was interesting seeing senator kerry, chairman of the senate foreign relations committee beginning to address this in the larger form of the national in the nation. one of the seminal events of the 20th century was the fullbright hearings on vietnam in the '60s when finally more americans became aware of the fact that we could not answer the question what is our objective? and we've asked repeatedly various people on the show from washington, d.c., senate and the house, that is our objective there and they hem and they huh and they really can't give you one, two, three, here's our objectivement let's find out. >> certainly an appropriate time to reassess. >> it really is and i think the symbolic feeling about bin laden's death and maybe even a legitimate one depending on how much power he still had and certainly the information garnered out of his compound, all of th
i said what do you think about afghanistan? should we be moving out? and he turned to me long pause and he said, i don't know what the objective is. >> that's the critical point. i mean it was interesting seeing senator kerry, chairman of the senate foreign relations committee beginning to address this in the larger form of the national in the nation. one of the seminal events of the 20th century was the fullbright hearings on vietnam in the '60s when finally more americans became aware...
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we do need them for what's going on in afghanistan, we do need them to protect the nukes, we do need them to be a bastion of democracy in south asia and a lot of americans feel like they betrayed us, they were knowingly housing osama bin laden, you know, we have to deal with them. there's a great coat, quote, from a pakistani commentator saying, if we didn't know that he was here, we're a failed state. if we did know here we're a rogue state. the problem is their combination of the two. >> you have an interview with the pakistani prime minister. talking about the trust deficit. was he surprised there's a trust deficit? many americans, look at what happened and say, come on you had bin laden in your sights. >> he was the one that went to parliament and his first reaction was the u.s. invaded our air space without our permission. it wasn't defending hey, we had osama bin laden and didn't know, it was accusing the u.s. of violating the treaty with pakistan. >> they've been in completely defensive stance. the former president musharraf, these reports out there, he had cut a deal with pre
we do need them for what's going on in afghanistan, we do need them to protect the nukes, we do need them to be a bastion of democracy in south asia and a lot of americans feel like they betrayed us, they were knowingly housing osama bin laden, you know, we have to deal with them. there's a great coat, quote, from a pakistani commentator saying, if we didn't know that he was here, we're a failed state. if we did know here we're a rogue state. the problem is their combination of the two....
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i want to get to afghanistan. richard, hand it to me right now. >> it's off. >> i don't think it's off. >> it's on silent. >> well, you've got to turn it a off because it's interfering with the microphone. we let one yankee fan on to the set -- >> before we get to afghanistan, which is major news there, as well, take a look at this poll. it's a pew research "washington post" poll showing americans have mixed feelings. 42% said the u.s. should recognize it as an independent nation. i point that out wondering what the republicans are doing jumping into this and wondering if they should stay out of it. what do you think? >> willie, obviously, the republicans sense weakness. the president's relation with israel have not been good. and i have, again, on this show, i have been critical of the way the president has handled america's relationship with israelis over the past 2 1/2 years. and i think for good reason. i think the republicans are overreaching and they're stepping into something they should be stepping into at
i want to get to afghanistan. richard, hand it to me right now. >> it's off. >> i don't think it's off. >> it's on silent. >> well, you've got to turn it a off because it's interfering with the microphone. we let one yankee fan on to the set -- >> before we get to afghanistan, which is major news there, as well, take a look at this poll. it's a pew research "washington post" poll showing americans have mixed feelings. 42% said the u.s. should recognize it...